Mayor John Cranley, Chief Jeffrey Blackwell and other city
officials yesterday announced a police plan to put more cops on the
streets, focus on “hot spots” of crime, restart the gang unit and reach
out to youth. Blackwell acknowledged more cops alone won’t solve or
prevent the city’s heightened levels of violent crimes and homicides,
but he said changing the level of enforcement through new tactics, such
as hot spot policing, could help. A lot of research supports hot spot
policing, although the practice can sometimes backfire, as “stop and
frisk” did in New York City, if it targets minorities.

Bill Nye the Science Guy today will debate Creation Museum
owner Ken Ham. The debate will focus on evolution, which is
overwhelmingly supported by science, and biblical creationism, which has
no scientific evidence to support it. The debate will be streamed live
here.

Republican Councilman Charlie Winburn is considering a run
for the Ohio Senate. Winburn would run in the heavily Democratic 9th
Senate District. So far, there are two likely Democratic opponents:
former Councilman Cecil Thomas and State Rep. Dale Mallory. The seat is
open because State Sen. Eric Kearney, the Democratic incumbent, is term
limited.

Republican Hamilton County Commissioner Chris Monzel might
get two Democratic opponents in this year’s election: Sean Feeney, a
North College Hill resident who already filed, and potentially Paul
Komerak, a member of the Hamilton County Democratic Party’s executive
committee. If both Komerak and Feeney run, they could face off in a
Democratic primary.

City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee unanimously
approved tax credits for Tom + Chee to entice the grilled cheese and
tomato soup chain to keep its headquarters downtown as it expands
nationally. Councilman Kevin Flynn questioned whether tax breaks
should be given so leniently, but other council members argued the tax
deals keep jobs in the city.

Attorneys for the Ohio inmate next scheduled for execution
asked for a stay to avoid a “lingering death” similar to the 26-minute,
seemingly painful execution of Dennis McGuire. CityBeat covered McGuire’s execution and the concerns it raised in further detail here.

Enrollment in Ohio’s public colleges and universities dropped by 2 percent in the latest fall semester.

Ohio gas prices ticked up at the start of the week, but the lowest average was in Cincinnati.

City officials on Monday announced a new public safety
initiative that promises to put more cops on the streets, focus on “hot
spots” of crime, restart the gang unit and do more to reach out to
youth.

The comprehensive plan comes after a rough start to the
year, with homicides and violent crime ticking up even as the weather
remains cold.

Among other initiatives, the plan will add more cops on
the ground through new hires, more overtime and a new recruit class — the first since 2008.

“The message to people is that help is on the way,” Mayor John Cranley said.

The plan will come at higher costs to an already-strained
operating budget. Cranley said the Cincinnati Police Department set
aside nearly $1 million for the proposal through June, while the remaining $5.6 million should be
funded in the city’s $370-plus million operating budget.

When asked whether initiatives like the one announced Monday will hurt the budget, Cranley reiterated his long-standing
position that public safety takes top priority in the city budget.

Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell said the refocus
intends to prevent, not just solve, crimes. He acknowledged more cops alone
won’t end the city’s crime problem, but he argued increasing the level of evidence-based enforcement
— through new tactics supported by more cops on the streets — could
make a difference.

Cranley and Blackwell cautioned the results might not be
immediate, but they said it’s an important step to stop levels of crime
local residents are clearly unhappy with.

Hot spot policing carries a high level of
empirical support. In two different studies from Rutgers and the
Ministry of Justice in the Netherlands, researchers argued the strategy
doesn’t always displace crime; it can also prevent crime by deterring
and discouraging future incidents in hot spots and surrounding areas —
what researchers call a “diffusion” of benefits.

But the concept also needs to be executed carefully. In
New York City, “stop and frisk” became a fairly unpopular type of hot
spot policing after somereports found the strategy targeted racial
makeups in neighborhoods more than levels of crime.

Of course, better policing isn’t the only way to combat
crime. As two examples, lead abatement and ending the war on drugs could
prevent violence by reducing aggression and eliminating a huge source
of income for drug cartels.

This story was updated to include more information from the city manager’s memo.

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Mayor John Cranley, Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffery Blackwell and several other local leaders expect to announce a $1 million plan to add more cops, including a new recruit class, to help fight a local rise in homicides and violent crime. Besides the additional officers, the plan will also restart a unit focused on gangs and put more emphasis on "hot spots" of potential crime. The announcement follows a rough start to the year that's already experienced higher-than-normal levels of violence. CityBeat will cover the announcement in further detail as the news breaks.

A bill in the Ohio legislature could enable more clean needle exchanges. The bill wouldn't supply state or federal funding, but it would let any local health authority establish a syringe-exchange program without declaring a health emergency. Although some conservatives take issue with providing needles to drug users, officials say the program in Portsmouth, Ohio, cut countywide hepatitis C rates, nearly eliminated the number of needles found in parks and on sidewalks, and provided addicts a legally safe resource for help. CityBeat previously covered attempts to establish a local needle-exchange program in further detail here.

If it were not for Republican-approved cuts to state aid for local governments, Cincinnati might not face an operating budget gap in 2015. The city has lost roughly $26 million in annual state aid since 2010, according to city officials, while the budget gap for 2015 is estimated at nearly $21 million. The reduction in state aid helps explain why Cincinnati continues dealing with budget gaps after years of council-approved spending cuts and tax hikes. Still, some council members argue Democratic council members should stop blaming Republican Gov. John Kasich and the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature for the city's problems and face the reality of reduced revenues.

Heads of the Cincinnati Police Department yesterday explained the local increase in homicides to City Council's Law and Public Safety Committee. Police officials said gang-related activity, particularly activity related to the Mexican drug cartel that controls the heroin trade, is to blame for the spike in crime in Over-the-Rhine, downtown and the west side of Cincinnati. In particular, it appears disruptions in criminal organizations and their territories led to turf wars and other violent acts. Police also cautioned, "Most of the homicides are personal crimes between two known victims. Very rarely are they random in nature."

The Democratic primary election for governor heated up yesterday after Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune called Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald's commitment to blacks "appalling" in an email obtained by The Cincinnati Enquirer. Prominent Democrats at the state and local level responded to the criticisms as more evidence Portune shouldn't continue to run and threaten Democrats' chances of a clean gubernatorial campaign. Portune announced his intention to run last week, despite calls from top Democrats to stay out of the race.

About 34 percent of Ohio third-graders could be held back if they do not improve their scores on the state's reading assessments. The chairs of the Ohio House and Senate's education committees argue the aggressive approach is necessary to improve the state's education outcomes. But the National Association of School
Psychologists found grade retention has "deleterious long-term effects" both academically and socially.

Ohio Democrats named a new executive director for the state party: Liz Walters. The Silver Lake, Ohio, native began her political career with the Girl Scouts when she worked for the organization as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.

Heads of the Cincinnati Police Department testified in
front of City Council’s Law and Public Safety Committee Monday to
address the local increase in homicides.

The city’s homicide rate hit 25 per 100,000 residents in 2013, compared to the U.S. rate of 4.7 per 100,000 in 2012, following a spike in homicides in
Over-the-Rhine, downtown and the west side of Cincinnati, according to
police statistics.

“The concern has been the sheer number of homicides we
experienced in 2013 and the number of juvenile victims we had this
year,” said Assistant Chief Dave Bailey.

Councilman Christopher Smitherman also highlighted the
high levels of black-on-black crime, which Chief Jeffrey Blackwell
agreed are unacceptable across the country.

“My fear is that my son, who’s African-American … is
going to be killed by another African-American,” Smitherman said.
“That’s what those stats are saying.”

The key driver of the increases, according to police, is
gang-related activity, particularly activity involving the Mexican drug cartel that
controls the heroin trade.

Chief Blackwell explained the increase in homicides
appears to be particularly related to disruptions in criminal organizations and their
territories.

“Criminal territories have been disrupted, and we’ve seen
an increase in turf wars and neighborhood situations between young
people,” he said. “Most of the homicides are personal crimes between two
known victims. Very rarely are they random in nature.”

Councilman Kevin Flynn asked what council could do to help remedy the situation.

“We are significantly short of police officers, so we
desperately need a recruit class,” Blackwell responded. “We need to
improve our technology platform here in the police department.”

Blackwell cautioned that there’s not a direct correlation
between more police officers and less homicides, but he said another
recruit class could help the city meet basic needs.

Flynn claimed council is very willing to meet those needs, given the importance of public safety to the city’s prosperity.

“If we’re not safe and we don’t have the perception that
we’re a safe city, none of the rest of the great things we do as a city
are going to help,” he said.

How council meets those needs while dealing with fiscal concerns remains to be seen, considering Mayor John Cranley and a majority of council members ran on the promise of structurally balancing the city’s operating budget for the first time in more than a decade.

City officials have vowed to avoid raising taxes and cutting basic services, which makes the task of balancing the budget all the more difficult. Advancing promises of more spending for the police department further complicates the issue, even if it’s politically advantageous in a city seriously concerned about public safety.

Cincinnati Police will hold several town hall meetings in
the next week to hear concerns from citizens. The meetings will span
across all local districts:• District 2: Jan. 7, Medpace, Inc., 5375 Medpace Way.• District 3: Jan. 8, Elder HS Schaeper Center, 3900 Vincent.• District 1 and Central Business District: Jan. 9, River of Life Church, 2000 Central Parkway.• District 5: Jan. 13, Little Flower Church, 5560 Kirby Ave..• District 4: Jan. 14, Church of the Resurrection, 1619 California Ave.

Correction: The local homicide rate for 2013 was 25 per 100,000 residents, contrary to the 15.5 per 100,000 rate cited by police officials to City Council.

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City Council yesterday voted to allocate $1.25 million to pause the $132.8 million streetcar project
and study how much it will cost to continue or cancel the project. The
final 5-4 votes to pause came despite offers from private contributors
to pay for the $250,000 study and construction for the one or two weeks
necessary to carry out the cost analysis. The city administration warned
council earlier in the day that pausing the project for one month could
cost $2.56-$3.56 million, while previous estimates put continuing
construction for the month at $3 million. After the cost study is
finished, council members expect to make a final decision on whether to
continue or cancel the project.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Yvette Simpson filed a motion
to draw up a city charter amendment that would task the city with
completing the current streetcar project. If the charter amendment gets council approval,
Cincinnatians would vote on the issue approximately 60 to
120 days afterward. But it’s unclear whether the
$44.9 million in federal grants for the streetcar project would survive through the months; the federal
government previously warned a delay could be grounds for pulling the money.

Following various cases of malfunctioning or disabled police cruiser cameras, various groups, including Councilman Chris Seelbach, are asking to get to the bottom of the issue.
Police officials say old, deteriorating technology is to blame, but critics claim some officers are purposely tampering with the technology to
avoid filming themselves during controversial moments in the line of
duty. For both sides, getting the cameras working could be mutually
beneficial; functioning cameras would allow police to clear their names but also show when officers make mistakes.

The University of Cincinnati asked Hamilton County judges to crack down on criminals targeting students on or near campus.

Republican State Sen. Bill Seitz of Cincinnati canceled a vote
for a proposal that would greatly weaken Ohio’s renewable energy
and efficiency standards. But he vowed to pursue a “three-pronged strategy to reform the current
envirosocialist mandates,” including potential litigation. Environmental
groups argued Seitz’s proposal would have effectively eliminated the
state’s energy standards. According to a study from Ohio State University and
the Ohio Advanced Energy Economy coalition, repealing the standards
would increase Ohioans’ electricity bills by $3.65 billion over the next
12 years. CityBeat covered Seitz’s proposal in greater detail here.

The Republican-controlled Ohio legislature yesterday approved a bill
that establishes a state panel to oversee Medicaid and recommend
changes for the costly program. Republicans insist the measure isn’t
about reducing benefits or eligibility for Medicaid; instead, they argue
it’s about finding ways to cut growing health care costs without making
such cuts. Gov. John Kasich must sign the bill for it to become law.

Months after rejecting Kasich’s proposal to do so, Ohio House leaders introduced a scaled-down measure
that would slightly raise the oil and gas severance tax and cut income
taxes. Unlike the governor’s previous proposal, the House plan seems to
have support from the oil and gas industry.

Robert Carr, a 49-year-old Cincinnati man, has been going into the homes of strangers and trying to claim them as his own. He’s now being held in the Hamilton County Justice Center on six felony charges for breaking into homes.

A Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals judge has denied the Milford-Miami Advertiser's request to appeal a 2012 ruling that charged the Gannett-owned suburban weekly with defamation and ordered the paper to pay the defamed plaintiff $100,000 in damages.

In an article published in the Advertiser on May 27, 2010 titled "Cop's suspension called best move for city," the paper implicated Miami Township police officer James Young, who years before had been mired in legal trouble for accusations of sexual assault that were eventually disproven, in its article discussing another sex scandal in the area.

According to court documents, in 1997, Young was initially fired from his job after a woman named Marcie Phillips accused Young of forcing her to perform oral sex on him while Young was on duty. An internal investigation revealed that the two had actually been engaged in a relationship prior and that Young had spent time at Phillips' house while on duty.The allegations, however, were entangled in questions about Phillips' character and concern that she could have been lying about the rape because the relationship between the two had recently ended on rocky terms.

When DNA testing on semen found on a rug in the woman's home proved that the DNA didn't match Young's, he was exonerated and reinstated to his position.

The Advertiser article explained that Young had been terminated for sexual harassment, immoral behavior, gross misconduct and neglect in the line of duty and also stated that "Young had sex with a woman while on the job," which formed the basis for Young's defamation suit.

The 2010 article dealt with similar accusations lodged against Milford Police Officer Russell Kenney, who pleaded guilty to charges that he'd been having sex with Milford Mayor Amy Brewer while he was on duty on multiple occasions.

Kenney was suspended from his position for 15 days, but
was later reinstated even though Milford's police chief planned to
recommend his termination to avoid having to use an arbitrator to
dissect the case.

Although the article is attributed to writer Kellie Giest, the lawsuit revealed that the paper's editor at the time, Theresa Herron, inserted the section of the article that went to trial. According to court documents, Herron added the paragraphs about Young to Giest's story because she felt the article needed more context about why the city wanted to avoid arbitration.

According to court documents from the suit Young filed against the Gannett Satellite Information Network, Gannett responded the to initial complaint by acknowledging that the statement was a defamation of character, but that the statement was made without actual malice on the part of Herron. There is a high legal threshold for plaintiffs to establish a defamation claim, which require the plaintiff to prove several elements beyond a reasonable doubt; for public officials, the threshold is even higher because they most prove that the offender acted with actual malice — in this case, knowing the claim about Young was false and printing it anyway — to win a lawsuit.

In its appeal, Gannett argued that Young, as a police officer, did not meet the threshold of a public official required to successfully establish a defamation claim and that Herron's inclusions were based on rational interpretations of documents on the case — even though Young denied having sex with plaintiff Marcie Phillips, he admitted the two had kissed and the arbitrator's report documented one instance in which Young was at Phillips' house while on duty.

In the court's opinion denying Gannett's appeal, Judge John Rogers writes that Herron admitted she had read the arbitrator's report from Young's case, which provided no evidence that Young and Phillips ever actually had sex at all.

"There was sufficient evidence for the jury to conclude that Herron was well aware that the statement she added to the article was probably false," it reads. "Herron was also reckless in failing to conduct any investigation beyond the records of the original case. She did not seek out Young for comment, nor did she talk to anyone involved in his case."

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The Cincinnati police officer who struck a pedestrian with his cruiser on Saturday was apparently driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, which violates the Cincinnati Police Department's guidelines that limit officers from driving more than 20 mph above the posted limit. Officer Orlando Smith was responding to a call to help an officer when he struck Natalie Cole of Dayton, Ky. She remains in critical condition at University Hospital Medical Center following the incident. CPD is conducting an investigation that is expected to be completed within two weeks. But Smith's cruiser camera mysteriously failed to record for three minutes as the events unfolded; the latest recording available prior to the incident shows Smith leaving a grocery store parking lot with his lights and sirens on, as required by department policy when responding to help an officer. Witnesses told WCPO that Smith was actually driving in excess of 60 mph without his siren on and the victim flung 40 feet after she was struck. Smith is on paid administrative leave as the investigation finishes, which is routine police procedure.

City Council's Budget and Finance Committee will hold its final scheduled meeting today, less than three weeks before the new mayor and council are sworn in on Dec. 1. The committee's agenda is fairly packed after council canceled so many meetings throughout September and October for election season, but most of the items are uncontroversial incentive packages that aim to bring jobs and develop more housing opportunities in the city.

The achievement gap between white and black students in Ohio grew in the past two years, according to the results from a series of tests known as "the Nation's Report Card" from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Chad Aldis, the vice president for Ohio policy and advocacy at the Fordham Institute, told StateImpact Ohio the results are disappointing because the achievement gap between black and white students in Ohio was already way too big and above the national average in math and English, the two categories in which the gap widened. Overall, Ohio's students ranked slightly above the national average in all areas but showed no significant improvement since 2011. Aldis says Ohio's adoption of Common Core standards, a set of stricter expectations for students embraced by 45 states, should help challenge students and lead to improvement.

Here is an interactive map of marijuana seizures in Ohio this year, which were down from a record high in 2010. Some experts say marijuana and other drugs should be legalized following the failure of the decades-long
war on drugs to seriously curtail supply and demand, as CityBeat covered in further detail here.

Mayor-elect John Cranley on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. will answer questions from readers and the editorial board at The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Cincinnati area's most prominent white-collar crime case will start hearings in December after a jury is picked by the end of the month in the trial of Matt Daniels, the former Kenwood Towne Place developer who's accused of various charges of fraud. Daniels' attorney talked tothe Business Courierhere.

A panel of nine criminal justice officials on Friday recommended limiting access to Ohio’s facial recognition program and establishing protocols that would seek to make the program less prone to abuse.

The panel’s recommendations follow a nearly two-month review of current procedures and public criticisms over the program’s secrecy and alleged lack of oversight.

The panel broadly looked at the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG), a state database of criminal justice histories and records, but largely focused on the controversial facial recognition program, which was live for more than two months and 2,677 searches before Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine formally announced its existence in August. The program allows police officers and civilian employees to use a photo to search databases for names and contact information; previously, law enforcement officials needed a name or address to search such databases.

The panel recommends limiting access of the facial recognition program to law enforcement, meaning police departments, sheriff’s offices, state highway patrol, county prosecuting attorneys and other local, state or federal bodies that enforce criminal laws or have employees who have the legal authority to carry out an arrest. Anyone else who wants to tap into the system would need to do so with written permission from the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

For those who would retain access, the panel says written policies and protocols should be developed and implemented. The recommendations extend from written rules for out-of-state officials to a training program that better establishes clear penalties for misuse and guidelines for reporting and prosecuting infractions.

The report calls for improved monitoring of the system, which it states is “perhaps the most effective measure of whether the system is being properly implemented for its intended criminal justice purpose.” The oversight should include random audits of OHLEG, one person in charge of monitoring OHLEG’s use in each local agency and a model for ideal use, according to the report.

The panel says the attorney general should also establish a steering committee comprised of criminal justice officials, along with an advisory group. The committee would be in charge of OHLEG training, monitoring and policy review, among other oversight functions.

The panel also advises the attorney general’s office to launch an education campaign that tells the public of the potential benefits of OHLEG’s programs.

Separately, the Ohio Public Defender’s Office recommends allowing citizens to access their own criminal history records through a secure Internet portal with a social security number, similar to AnnualCreditReport.com.

The panel included former Ohio Supreme Court justices, judges and law enforcement officials, among other criminal justice leaders from around Ohio.

DeWine, a Republican, says the facial recognition program
is a vital tool for law enforcement to more easily identify and catch
potential criminals. But critics, including the American Civil Liberties
Union of Ohio and Democratic attorney general candidate David Pepper,
say the program was allowed to operate for far too long without public knowledge or proper
checks in place.

When asked if DeWine will implement the recommendations, Lisa Hackley, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, wrote in an email, “The Attorney General has committed to implementing the recommendations. Some are already in progress. Others, such as those requiring new computer programming, may take longer.”

The full report:

Updated at 10:04 p.m. with comment from the attorney general’s office.

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Early voting for the 2013 City Council and mayoral elections is now underway. Find your voting location here. Normal voting hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., although some days are extended.

On Oct. 29, local residents will be able to give feedback
to Cincinnati officials about the city budget — and also
nab some free pizza. The open budgeting event is from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 at
1115 Bates Ave., Cincinnati.

An audit of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) found
former Sheriff Simon Leis crippled technological developments, stacked
leadership positions with political cronies and still kept his staff
fiercely loyal during his 25 years in charge of HCSO. The Oct. 15 audit
claims the agency was “largely frozen in time” and didn’t meet the most
basic modern standards, including a failure to adopt computer
spreadsheets and other modern technologies instead of keeping
paper-based records that only one person can access at a time. The audit
claims a few possible consequences for Hamilton County: outdated
policing policies, exposure to possible litigation and an overworked,
under-trained staff. To fix the mistakes, the audit recommends various
investments and changes to policies that could prove costly to the
county — perhaps too costly to a county government that has been forced
to make budget cuts for the past six years. Read more about the audit here.

Developers sold the apartments and 96,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space
in the first phase of The Banks for $79.5 million. In a memo, City
Manager Milton Dohoney claimed the sale is a sign of the strong market
that’s being built in Cincinnati. Dohoney noted that the sale will
provide nearly $1.2 million for the city and county, which will likely
go to other projects in The Banks, and allow Carter and The Dawson
Company to repay the city and county’s nearly $4.7 million retail fit-up
loan three years in advance. The sale should also increase the
property’s assessed value, which Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes previously
put at $52 million, or $27.5 million less than it actually sold for,
and subsequently lead to higher property-based tax revenue, according to
Dohoney.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) could force
the Lebanon Road Surgery Center, a Cincinnati-area abortion clinic, to
close after a health examiner upheld ODH’s decision to revoke the
clinic’s license because it couldn’t establish a patient transfer
agreement with a nearby hospital. Abortion rights advocates touted the
closure as another example of how new regulations in the recently passed
state budget will limit access to legal abortions across the state. But
ODH handed down its original decision for the Cincinnati-area abortion
clinic in November 2012, more than half a year before Gov. John Kasich
in June signed the state budget
and its anti-abortion restrictions into law. Meanwhile, Ohio Right to
Life praised the state for closing down or threatening to close down
five abortion clinics this year.

Reminder: Officials project the streetcar will have a much greater economic impact in downtown than Over-the-Rhine, despite what some detractors may claim.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office last night began threatening to arrest homeless people who refuse to leave the Hamilton County Courthouse and Justice Center and find another place to sleep, according to Josh Spring of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. The sheriff’s office says the steps are necessary to put an end to public urination and defecation on county property, but homeless advocates say the county should focus on creating jobs and affordable housing to solve the root of the problem. CityBeat covered the issue in greater detail here.

Former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson questioned her fellow Republicans’ legal threats
against Gov. John Kasich’s plan to bypass the legislature and get the
federally funded Medicaid expansion approved through the Controlling
Board, a seven-member legislative panel. Davidson says Kasich is on
“firm ground” legally because the state budget contained a provision
that allows the state’s Medicaid director to expand the program. The
Kasich administration on Oct. 11 announced its intention to call on the Controlling Board to take up the expansion, which will use federal Obamacare funds for two years to extend Medicaid eligibility to more low-income Ohioans. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio previously found the expansion would generate $1.8 billion for Ohio and insure nearly half a million Ohioans over the next decade.

Ohio Libertarians and Greens threatened to sue the state
if the legislature passes a bill that would limit ballot access for
minor political parties. The Ohio Senate already approved the
legislation, and an Ohio House committee is expected to vote on it at a
hearing on Oct. 29.

More charges have been filed
against a local spine doctor accused of carrying out unnecessary
surgeries in the Cincinnati area and Florence, Ky., and billing health
care programs millions of dollars, according to court documents released
Thursday.

A scathing audit of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) suggests former Sheriff Simon Leis crippled technological developments, stacked leadership positions with political cronies and still kept his staff fiercely loyal during his 25-year reign over the sheriff’s office.

According to the Oct. 15 audit, the result was an agency “largely frozen in time” that failed at adopting modern standards and practices for policing and corrections facilities.

As one example, the audit found the agency still uses what it colloquially calls “The Book,” a single, massive paper-based trove of financial data and other information, instead of modern technologies, such as computer spreadsheets. Not only did the agency insist on sticking to the old ways of keeping records, but one unit head reportedly told auditors that she simply does not trust computers.

The audit presents various consequences for Hamilton County: outdated policing policies, exposure to possible litigation and an overworked, under-trained staff.

“A mid-level supervisor indicated that in his twenty-plus year career, he has never had updated use of force training beyond the initial academy. This is inconsistent with the best practices and exposes the HCSO, the County, and officeholders to unnecessary legal liability,” the audit found.

Leis’ policies also had a negative effect on newcomers trying to build a career on the county force, according to the audit.

“The command staff was comprised exclusively of personal and political associates of the former sheriff, some with no true law enforcement experience except at that level,” the audit noted. “Almost no career employees were promoted above the rank of lieutenant, despite advanced training including degrees and other training (e.g. Southern Police Institute) directly related to their careers.”

One staff commander interviewed for the audit reportedly said the failure to identify, train and promote new leaders created “The Lost Generation” at HCSO.

One explanation for the dire circumstances, according to the audit, is that the agency completely lacked inspection and planning functions that would have examined policies and practices for certain standards and established plans to fix discovered errors.

Another possible cause: The audit found that five years of cuts created staffing gaps in several areas, particularly correctional facilities.

Still, the audit found the sheriff’s staff is so loyal that its members would quickly embrace and adapt to changes given through the chain of command. “This is a key advantage, and we have no doubt that both sworn and non-sworn HCSO members will readily and rapidly implement chosen reforms and changes,” the audit claimed.

The audit recommends various new investments and changes in standards for HSCO. It notes that some of the investments, such as a greater focus on modern technology, could help make the agency’s work more efficient and allow a reduction of non-sworn staff — and the costs associated with them — through attrition.

But the investments would involve a substantial policy shift for Hamilton County, which carried out major budget cuts in the past six years just to get to a point this year where large reductions or tax increases aren’t necessary to balance the annual budget.

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil promised the audit during his 2012 campaign. It was conducted by former American Civil Liberties Union attorney Scott Greenwood and former Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher.

The HCSO audit:

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City Manager Milton Dohoney announced on Sept. 13 that
Jeffrey Blackwell, the current deputy chief of the Columbus
Division of Police, is being appointed to Cincinnati’s top police job.

The appointment ends a months-long process as the city searched for a replacement for former Police Chief James Craig, who left in June to take the top police job in his hometown, Detroit.

Blackwell was picked over three other finalists: Paul
Humphries, who’s been acting Cincinnati Police chief since Craig left;
Michael Dvorak, deputy chief of the Mesa, Ariz., Police Department; and
Jerry Speziale, deputy superintendent of the Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey Police.

In a statement, the city touted Blackwell’s
accomplishments in Columbus: Blackwell is a 26-year veteran of the police force, he was commended
for his outreach to young people, he helped reach out to significant
immigrant populations such as Somalians and Latinos, he advanced the use
of technology and he worked with the city and communities to reduce crime
and costs.

“Jeff understands that we have to work with the various
communities we serve to build a culture of understanding and respect. In particular, I have spoken to him about our need to work in
partnership with other organizations to reach teen youth and young
adults to move the needle on reducing crime in this community,” Dohoney
said in a statement.

With the decision, Blackwell will be put in charge of implementing new policies and leading the Cincinnati Police Department.

The appointment was made without much
public input, even though some City Council members previously called on
Dohoney to open up the process. Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld on Sept. 9
sent a letter to the city manager asking him to hold town halls in which
the public could ask questions and evaluate the police chief
candidates.

The city manager is ultimately in charge of who gets appointed to the city’s top police job.

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City officials are now considering four finalists for the
Cincinnati Police Department’s top job, City Manager Milton Dohoney
announced today.

The city has been looking for a replacement for former
Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig, who left in June to take the top
police job in his hometown, Detroit. Since then, Paul Humphries has been
acting chief of the Cincinnati Police Department.

Humphries is among the four finalists being considered by
the city manager. The others: Jeffrey Blackwell, deputy chief of the
Columbus, Ohio, Police Department; Michael Dvorak, deputy chief of the
Mesa, Ariz., Police Department; and Jerry Speziale, deputy
superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police.

Whoever is picked will be charged with implementing new policies and leading the Cincinnati Police Department.

The four finalists were screened by a committee that
looked at 28 total applicants. The committee was comprised of 11 members
that included a former police chief, a former prosecuting attorney, Air
Force veterans, business leaders and community members.

“I am appreciative to the Screening Committee for their
time, dedication and the seriousness to which they approached the
selection process in order to recommend this group of excellent
candidates for our next Chief of Police,” Dohoney said in a statement.

The city manager will make the final decision of who to appoint as Cincinnati’s next police chief. Dohoney could choose one of the four finalists or consider
other applicants until the position is filled.

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In partnership with the Cincinnati Police Department, City Councilman Chris Seelbach on Thursday unveiled a legislative plan that
would crack down on cellphone thefts by making it more difficult to sell
stolen devices.

“We know that the cellphone is such an important part of
everyone’s lives,” Seelbach says. “It’s how we connect to our loved ones,
to our work environment. It’s how we capture moments that we want to
remember. And so to have something like that stolen is definitely an offense
that is personal.”

Americans are increasingly using cellphones for more than
making calls. Applications now let people browse the Internet, social
media and even bank accounts. But the diversity of uses has also linked
cellphone theft to other crimes, such as identity theft.

The initiative will require the hundreds of dealers who currently buy
cellphones second-hand to get licensed with the city and keep full
records of the transaction, including a serial number of the device, a photocopy of the seller’s ID and other contact information.
Seelbach likened the requirements to existing regulations for pawn
shops.

The hope is that cracking down on dealers will make stolen
cellphones more difficult to sell and less lucrative to potential
thieves.

Seelbach says the plan will come at no extra cost outside
of the extra policing work. Acting Cincinnati Police Chief Paul
Humphries says the police department prefers taking preventive measures
that stop cellphone theft in the first place than spending costlier
resources on investigating a robbery after it happens.

If the legislation is approved by City Council, police
officers will first take steps to educate dealers about the new law.
Shortly after, police will begin cracking down with fines.

Officials are also advising cellphone owners to take their
own steps to avoid having devices stolen: Never leave a phone
unattended, avoid using a cellphone in public when it’s unnecessary and
put a password lock on the phone.

Similar laws already exist at the state level, but they’re currently not enforced, Seelbach says.

The plan will go through a City Council committee on Monday
and, if approved there, a full session of City Council on Wednesday. Seelbach says he’s expecting unanimous support from
fellow council members.

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio on Monday asked
Attorney General Mike DeWine to shut down a facial recognition program
used by law enforcement until state officials verify and develop safety
protocols that protect Ohioans’ rights to privacy.

DeWine formally announced the program’s existence in a
press conference Monday. It allows police officers and civilian
employees to use a photo to search databases for names and contact
information. Previously, law enforcement officials needed a name or
address to search such databases.

The program has been live for more than two months and so
far used for 2,677 searches. In that time span, the program was kept
hidden from the public and hasn’t been checked by outside groups for
proper safety protocols.

The attorney general’s office is just now putting together
an independent panel of judges, public defenders, chiefs of police,
sheriffs and other public safety officials to look at the program and
gauge whether currently standing protections are adequate.

“The time for press conferences and advisory boards was
months ago,” said Gary Daniels, associate director of ACLU of Ohio, in a
statement. “This system needs to be shut down until there are
meaningful, documented rules in place to keep this information secure,
protect the privacy of innocent people and prevent government abuse of
this new tool.”

Shortly after unveiling the program at a press conference,
DeWine acknowledged it should have been revealed to the public earlier:
“In hindsight, if I had to over again, we would have put out a release
the day that it went up or before that.”

Still, DeWine defended the program’s ability to connect law enforcement with criminal suspects.

“Historically for, I don’t know, decades, law enforcement
has had the ability to pull up the (Bureau of Motor Vehicles)
information,” DeWine said, before noting that similar facial recognition
programs have been adapted by federal officials and 28 other states.

DeWine also explained that he thinks the current
protections for the program are good enough, but he said it’s prudent to
have an independent group verify the standards.

Misusing the program qualifies as a fifth-degree felony, which carries a prison sentence of six months to one year.

David Pepper, who’s running for attorney general in 2014
against DeWine, criticized the current attorney general for how the program has been handled.

“It is highly irresponsible for the Attorney General of
Ohio to launch something this expansive and this intrusive into the
lives of law-abiding citizens without ensuring the proper protocols were
already in place to protect our privacy,” Pepper said in a statement.
“To have kept this a secret for this long only makes it worse.”

DeWine said the independent group will be given 60 days to come up with recommendations. His office
intends to announce who will serve on the group in the next few days.

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A federal judge on Tuesday extended the temporary restraining order recognizing a gay couple’s marriage in Ohio. As CityBeat covered here,
Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS) and is expected to die soon, sued local and state
officials hoping to have their Maryland marriage acknowledged by Ohio
before Arthur’s death certificate was issued. Judge Timothy Black sided
with the couple, and he’s now extended the temporary restraining order
until December, which should provide enough time for Arthur’s expected
death and the remaining legal battle. The judge has made it clear that
the order only applies to Obergefell and Arthur.

Ohio could spend less on Medicaid if it expands eligibility for the program, according to a new analysis
from Ohio State University and the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. But
the expansion would have to come with cost controls that cap spending
growth at 3.5 percent to 4 percent, as opposed to the current rate of
7.2 percent. Still, the analysis shows that policies including an expansion can
save the state money. Under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), the
federal government is asking states to expand Medicaid to include anyone
at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. In return, the
federal government would pay for the entire expansion for the first
three years then phase down its payments to 90 percent of the
expansion’s cost. Typically, the federal government pays for about 60 percent of Medicaid in Ohio.

A Sycamore Township man died yesterday after Hamilton County deputies used a Taser on him
during a brief struggle. Deputies found Gary Roell, 59, half-clothed
and smashing windows right before they took him into custody. It’s
unclear how many times the Taser was used or whether the Taser was the
direct cause of death. Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil says the deputies
followed protocol, given the violent actions carried out by Roell, who punched a
deputy in the face during the confrontation. Still, some groups have
been asking police departments around the country to change protocol
altogether. A 2012 report from Amnesty International
found at least 500 people died in the United States between 2001 and
2012 after being shocked with Tasers during their arrests or while in
jail.

The 2013 Ohio Health Issues Poll found that higher-income Ohio adults reported better health than those with lower incomes.
In 2013, 59 percent of Ohio adults above 138 percent of the federal
poverty level, or roughly $15,856 for a single-person household,
reported “excellent” or “very good” health, compared to only 26 percent
of those below 100 percent of the federal poverty level, or about
$11,490 for a single-person household. The United Way of Greater
Cincinnati is pointing to the results as just one other way life is more
difficult for low-income Ohioans. The group intends to get at least 70
percent of the community to report “excellent” or “very good” health by
2020. Only about 53 percent of adults in southwest Ohio currently
report such health, according to the Ohio Health Issues Poll.

The Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU) today sent out a warning
to college students asking them to watch out for drugged drinks. OIU provided four safety tips: Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks can be
drugged, students shouldn’t leave a drink laying around or turn their
backs on it, they shouldn’t accept drinks from strangers or someone they
don’t trust, and students should watch their friends’ drinks and
act if they see anything suspicious. The Ohio Incident Based Reporting
System (OIBRS) shows there were 14 incidents of forcible rape with drug
as a weapon in 2012, but not all Ohio police departments report to
OIBRS, so the numbers are likely understated.

A Sycamore Township man died overnight after the Hamilton
County Sheriff’s Office used a Taser to subdue him during a brief
struggle.

While responding to a 911 call, deputies found Gary Roell, 59,
half-clothed and smashing windows behind a resident’s home, according
to the police report. When deputies ordered Roell to the ground, he
charged at them and punched one of the officers in the face. The
deputies then shot Roell on the back with a Taser to physically restrain
and handcuff him.

After he was taken into custody, Roell began having
labored breathing, and emergency medical services were called, the
report reads. But before ambulances arrived, Roell stopped breathing.
Despite attempts by deputies to revive Roell with CPR, he was pronounced
dead upon reaching the hospital.

Roell reportedly suffers from bipolar
depression and schizophrenia, which can lead to a distorted view of
reality. He had apparently stopped taking his medication.

Two key facts remain unknown: whether the Taser led to
Roell’s death and how many times the Taser was actually used. Jim Knapp,
spokesperson for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, says those
issues will be investigated by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Criminal
Investigative Section and the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil says the officers followed protocol, given Roell’s violent behavior and actions.

For some, the question is whether police protocol is
correct in the first place. Advocacy group Amnesty International has
been asking police departments around the country to scrutinize
standards for deploying a Taser.

A 2012 report from Amnesty International
found at least 500 people died in the United States between 2001 and
2012 after being shocked with Tasers during their arrests or while in
jail. On average, that’s nearly four deaths around the country each
month.

But if officers don’t use Tasers, they must resort other
non-lethal tools, such as pepper spray or a baton, that require getting
closer to a target. That, police experts argue, could lead to more
injuries.

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Meet Roger Jeremy Ramundo,
the man police shot and killed on July 24 after what’s now being called
a “life or death struggle.” Police say they first tried to subdue
Ramundo, who had a history of mental health problems. But when Ramundo
fired his gun once, an officer retaliated by firing two fatal shots into
Ramundo’s left back. For family members and colleagues, Ramundo’s death
came as a shock; none of them seemed to expect that he could turn
violent. Ramundo was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and generalized
anxiety disorder, according to the health care worker who notified police that Ramundo left home with his licensed gun,but he had been refusing to take his medication for
either illness at the time of his death.

Budget cuts to human services, parks and other areas could be retroactively reduced or eliminated
with higher-than-projected revenues from the previous budget cycle,
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls announced yesterday. When City Council passed
the city’s operating budget in May, it had not yet received the full
revenue numbers for the fiscal year that ended on June 30. With the full
numbers expected to come in higher than originally projected, Council
will be able to evaluate options for what and how much can be restored.
Human services funding was cut by roughly one-third in the city budget,
putting it at 0.3 percent of overall spending — far below the city’s
historic goal of 1.5 percent.

The I-71/MLK Interchange yesterday moved closer to its
$107.7 million funding goal when Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory
Council gave preliminary approval to Gov. John Kasich’s transportation
plan, which will use $3 billion raised through Ohio Turnpike revenues to
fund infrastructure projects around the state.

The Ohio Supreme Court will review whether anti-gambling opponents of racinos have standing to sue.
Among other issues, critics argue that Kasich’s legalization of video
lottery terminals didn’t represent an actual extension of the Ohio
Lottery, which is why the state claims it was allowed to legalize the
gambling machines without voter approval. The state’s Supreme Court says
it will decide the issue after it rules on a similar case involving
privatized development agency JobsOhio.

Democrats are voicing uncertainty about whether Republicans will actually take up a Medicaid expansion bill in September. Republican legislators rejected the expansion in the state budget,
but they’ve said they will take up the issue in the fall. The Health
Policy Institute of Ohio found the expansion, which is funded mostly
through federal funds from Obamacare, would insure half a million
Ohioans and save the state money over the next decade.

First of
all, those who knew him called him by his middle name, Jeremy. On Wednesday, July
24, Jeremy was shot and killed by a Cincinnati Police Officer in what the CPD
is describing as a violent, “life or death struggle,” with a mentally ill,
violent and heavily armed man. Those who knew Roger Jeremy Ramundo, however,
remember him very differently.

Thirty-two-year-old
Jeremy lived in a Clifton gaslight home with his mother, Peggy, and he liked to
eat on the patio at neighborhood bar Arlin’s Bar and Grill, the same place
where he lost his life in a struggle with police just blocks away from his
home.

An
acquaintance of the family, who asked to remain unnamed, described Ramundo as a
gentle, bright and mild-mannered young man with good social skills.

Ramundo formerly
worked up the street at Bruegger’s Bagels, where current CityBeat arts & culture editor Jac Kern worked with him from
2007-2008. “I always knew him to be a kind, gentle person,” she says, recalling
his fondness for discussing politics and attentive listening skills.

According
to Kern, Ramundo was in a car accident years before that left him with
debilitating vision and hearing problems. He had also been diagnosed with
bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, both of which he’d been
prescribed medications for.

But nobody,
it seemed, suspected he’d be the type of person to be involved in a deadly
police shootout. The Cincinnati Police Department today held a press conference
on the incident, during which Cincinnati Police Interim Chief Paul Humphries described
the actions of the five officers involved in the shootout as by-the-book, even
heroic.

What Humphries
accounts began as an argument between Ramundo his mother at their home on
Thrall Avenue, a few blocks from Arlin’s, which escalated shortly after Ramundo
refused to go to his doctor’s appointment, according to a 911 call made by a
health care representative from the medical facility where Ramundo’s
appointment was scheduled. According to the health care representative, Ramundo’s
mother called her looking for help, explaining he’d become belligerent
following her requests to go to his appointment. She said he had been willfully
not taking his psychiatric medications, although it’s unclear for how long.

In the 911
call, the health care representative says Peggy told her Ramundo had begun
threatening her, saying that if she called the cops, there would be a
“bloodbath.” She saw him take off up Ludlow Avenue and said on the phone call
she believed he was carrying his registered gun, a Sig Sauer .40 caliber pistol,
and guessed he might be on his way to his go-to hangout spot.

Officers Jayne
Snelling and William Springer followed the mother’s tip and found him sitting on
the back patio at Arlin’s.

An Arlin’s
bartender named Jocelyn was working that day and recalls Ramundo coming in
somewhat agitated. “He was asking about his glasses,” she says. “He seemed
frustrated about losing them, and he had me call another bartender to see if
they were here somewhere. After that, he asked for a glass of water, walked
outside and that was that."

Jocelyn
continued: “I’m in total shock. He was just a sweet kid,” she said, although
she couldn’t remember seeing him in the bar for about three months prior.

In total, five
CPD officers were dispatched to the scene, two of whom have had past positive
experiences with Ramundo, including Officer Snelling and Officer Bryan Gabel,
who later fired the shots that killed him.

The
physical struggle began after peace-making efforts failed, Humphries says.
Officers reported they saw Ramundo reaching toward his waistband, where he held
his pistol.

Gabel was the first to make physical contact with Ramundo, trying to “control
his arm,” according to Humphries. That led the other officers to become
involved in a scuffle that shortly thereafter prompted Officer Kelly Jackson to
deploy a five-second Taser sting to Ramundo’s back, which they say sent Ramundo
to the ground.

Jackson
again deployed her Taser onto Ramundo’s back, which, according to Humphries,
had little to no effect after the initial five-second deploy. On a third
attempt, the Taser failed to work, according to Humphries, at which point
Jackson signaled another officer to deploy another Taser.

Snelling
attempted to do so, but mistakenly Tased another officer in the struggle, who
was on top of Ramundo’s back.Gabel allegedly saw Ramundo raise his gun, when he fired his first and
only
shot. Officer Reginald Lane had taken the Tased officer's spot on top of
Ramundo, attempting to subdue him and retrieve his gun. That's when
Humphries says all five officers saw him trying to bring the gun up
again, this time aimed toward the officers.

Gabel fired
two shots into Ramundo’s lower left back. He died in the hospital three hours later.

Humphries
says Ramundo was also carrying two magazines, mace and a folding knife.

His mother,
the acquaintance says, is an outspoken advocate on mental health issues,
particularly Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), on which she’s published a book.
Peggy “always spoke preciously” of Jeremy, the acquaintance notes.

Bipolar
disorder, when untreated, can cause those affected to experience “mood
episodes,” which, in severe cases, sometimes result in impulsive, violent
behavior. An estimated 2.3 million Americans suffer from bipolar disorder.

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Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls is calling for a quick police
chief search following a bout of local violence during the past few
weeks. In a memo to City Manager Milton Dohoney, Qualls argues a police
chief replacement is necessary to clamp down on crime, particularly gun
and gang-related violence. She asks the city manager to report to City
Council on the hiring search in early August and have a full replacement
ready by the end of the summer. Former Police Chief James Craig
recently left Cincinnati to take the police chief job in Detroit, his
hometown.

Ohio dropped from No. 13 to No. 25
in a state-by-state ranking of highways. The report from the Reason
Foundation, a libertarian think tank, looked at highway conditions and cost
effectiveness. Among the findings: About 22.73 percent of Ohio’s bridges
were deemed deficient in 2009, down from 24.51 percent in 2007. Twenty
states reported more than one in four bridges as deficient — a threshold
Ohio barely missed. Despite Ohio being relatively worse off, the nation
as a whole improved in major categories, according to the report: “Six
of the seven key indicators of system condition showed improvement,
including large gains in rural interstate and urban interstate
condition, and a reduction in the fatality rate.”

Ohio Democrats now criticizing the state budget’s rape counselor restriction voted for the measure in a separate House bill on June 16.
The “gag,” as Democrats now call it, prevents publicly funded rape
counselors from discussing abortion as a viable medical option for rape
victims. “Democrats supported the bill to fund rape crisis centers and
we were led to believe that this offensive language gagging rape
counselors would be fixed in the budget,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman
Chris Redfern told the Associated Press through a spokesperson. “It was
not.” Democrats voted against the state budget that actually encoded
the measure into law.

On July 11 at Fountain Square, anti-abortion group Created Equal plans to use a jumbo screen to show a graphic video containing footage of aborted fetuses and their separated limbs.

Three more statewide online schools — known as “e-schools” — are coming to Ohio
following approval from the Department of Education. Proponents of
e-schools call them a “valuable alternative” to traditional schooling.
But some education experts and studies have found e-schools often perform poorly.